(TERRE HAUTE) - Police in western Indiana say three people were killed when a train hit a pickup truck that was trying to beat it through a railroad crossing.

The Vigo County Sheriff's Department says the truck was trying to race across a crossing in a rural area several miles northeast of Terre Haute when it was hit about 2 a.m. Wednesday. Two people were ejected and pinned underneath the truck, while one person was trapped inside.

Sheriff Greg Ewing tells that alcohol might have been a factor in the crash, WTHI-TV reported.

All three people were pronounced dead at the scene. Their names weren't immediately released.